---

The Cultural Village Foundation – Katara in cooperation with the Embassy of India in Qatar is pleased to host the Exhibition Islamic Monuments of India Photographs by Benoy K Behl. India is an enchanted land, watered by streams of compassionate philosophies since ancient times. It has hosted flourishing communities of the Islamic, Christian, Zoroastrian and Jewish faiths, as well as of the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh faiths that were born there. India has a vast, rich and varied heritage of Islamic architecture. These monuments are a great treasure of its cultural heritage, and are of particular value as they reflect India’s artistic and cultural links with many other countries, they reflect the long standing cosmopolitanism of this great nation. The Mughal monuments are very beautiful and are well known, Besides presenting these, this exhibition also shows the exquisite mosques and dargahs of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kashmir and other parts of India. The North of India, Deccan more precisely, received the cultural and artistic influences of Persia and of the Arab world. The many exquisite monuments of the Deccan display the confluence of cultures that could flourish there and some photographs in this exhibition will bear witness of that. A comprehensive view of the rich Islamic heritage of India is presented in this exhibition of 45 selected pictures through the eyes of renowned photographer Benoy K Behl. Benoy is a film maker, art historian and photographer who is known for his tireless and prolific output of work over the past 34 years.